Lord Byron (1788-1824)

Romantic poet

Lord Byron is one of the most influential and celebrated of the Romantic poets. He was famous for his satires and his long narrative poems 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' and 'Don Juan'.

As well as being a talented poet, he is considered one of the greatest letter writers. These letters reveal in detail his notorious life which was full of extravagant spending and debts, love affairs and separation, and marital exploits.

One lover, Lady Caroline Lamb, famously described him as 'mad, bad, and dangerous to know'. It was scandal and debts that pushed him into a self-imposed exile on the continent. He never returned to Britain, dying in Greece, where he had gone to support the struggle for Greek independence.

John Murray II was Byron's friend, publisher, literary critic and adviser. For generations the John Murrays have built the largest and greatest collection of Byron papers and archives. They also published many of the numerous works on Byron's life, including Leslie A Marchand's 'Byron's Letters and Journals' (1973-1982).

Highlighted items from the archive

The National Register of Archives (NRA) contains information on the nature and location of manuscripts and historical records that relate to British history in archival holdings in the UK and overseas. You can find more information on the National Register of Archives name authority catalogue.